Pitso wants the job done

LEAGUE: EARLY TITLE WILL HELP DOWNS SHIFT FOCUS TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Brazilians can wrap up Premiership honours as early as Wednesday.

Pitso Mosimane is keen for Mamelodi Sundowns to wrap up the Absa Premiership title as soon as possible, after they extended their lead over Orlando Pirates to six points with a 1-0 win over Golden Arrows on Tuesday.

Sundowns open their Caf Champions League group stage campaign against defending champions Wydad Casablanca, before the final Premiership game of the season away to Bloemfontein Celtic. With just three games left to play, however, Sundowns will win the title if they can beat Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on April 24, and Orlando Pirates fail to win at home to Bidvest Wits. A win for Masandawana at the Team of Choice will pretty much wrap up the title anyway, so superior is their goal difference to that of the Buccaneers.

“The Wydad game is coming before the end of the league, but we don’t want to go there to look for the result in Wydad and we have to win the league (at Celtic). So the boys are aware that they have to kill it as early as possible, but it is not easy,” said Mosimane.

The former Bafana Bafana coach does believe that the general Caf Champions League schedule has been favouring them in their quest for glory in the league this season, in contrast to previous years.

“I think the program of the Champions League was slightly different from last year because at this point we were forever coming from playing somewhere. The current programme suits us to finish off the league without

So the boys are aware that they have to kill it as early as possible, but it is not easy. Pitso Mosimane

Champions League interference,” said Mosimane.

Bafana Ba Style could have easily won the match against Arrows by three goals or more, but uncharacteristically poor finishing let them down.

Referee Khulasande Qongqo also may have given Sundowns two more penalties, on top than the one he did give in the first half, which Ricardo Nasciemento converted for what proved to be the winner.

Arrows, however, were also unlucky not to be awarded a penalty late in the game.

“Of course we need better finishing ... but these things do happen,” said Mosimane, whose side also face Maritzburg United in a Nedbank Cup semifinal at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday.